Astronomical News

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[گلناز]

HOUSTON -- The public can share a virtual dinner with the final space shuttle crew on Thursday, July 14 by preparing grilled chicken, barbecue brisket, baked beans and southwestern corn at home using NASA's recipes.

Food scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston prepared the special "All-American Meal" for the STS-135 shuttle crew, as the iconic American spacecraft makes its last voyage. The four shuttle astronauts, and possibly the six International Space Station crew members, are scheduled to eat the meal on the fifth day of the STS-135 mission.

"Since the mission is in July, we thought it would be fun to have a typical summer meal often enjoyed in our backyards with friends and family," said Michele Perchonok, NASA food scientist and manager of the shuttle food system.

For the special space recipes or "formulations" as they are called by NASA food scientists, plus more information, video and imagery, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/AllAmericanMeal

The crew's All American menu begins with crackers, brie cheese and sausage. The main course features grilled chicken, Southwestern corn and baked beans. The meal concludes with the quintessential American dessert, apple pie. The shuttle and station crews both have the meal on their menus, but the station crew has barbecued brisket as the entree.

The crackers, brie, sausage and apple pie are commercial off-the-shelf products repackaged for spaceflight. NASA food scientists prepared the chicken, brisket, corn and beans in a laboratory at Johnson before the mission.

For more information about the STS-135 mission, including the crew's full menus, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/STS-135

NASA's web coverage of STS-135 includes mission information, a press kit, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA Television schedule, is available on the main space shuttle website at:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of the mission. NASA TV features live mission events, daily status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the mission and landing. To access the feed, go to the NASA.gov homepage or visit:

http://www.twitter.com/nasa

All four of Atlantis' crew members are posting updates to Twitter. You can follow them at:

http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Ferg

http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Doug

http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Sandy

http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Rex

To connect with NASA on Twitter and other social networking sites, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/connect

For more information about the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

[گلناز]

Launch Commentator George Diller:
Go for main engine start.

T-10
9
8
7
6

(Roar of engines igniting)

5

All three engines up and burning.

Two

One

zero and liftoff!

The final liftoff of Atlantis. On the shoulders of the space shuttle, America will continue the dream.

Commander Chris Ferguson: Roll program, Houston.

CAPCOM Barry Wilmore: Roger Roll, Atlantis.
Flight Commentator Rob Navius: Houston now controlling the flight of Atlantis.

The space shuttle spreads it wings one final time for the start of a sentimental journey into history.

Twenty-four seconds into the flight, roll program complete, Atlantis now heads-down, wings level on the proper alignment for its eight-and-half minute ride into orbit.

Four and half million pounds of hardware and humans taking aim on the International Space Station.

Forty seconds in to the flight, the three liquid-fueled main engines throttling back to 72 percent of their rated performance in the bucket, reducing stress on the shuttle as it goes transonic for the final time.

Engines now revving up, standing by for the throttle-up call.

CAPCOM Barry Wilmore:
Atlantis, go at throttle up, no action DTDT.

Commander Chris Ferguson:
Go at throttle up, no action on the DTDT.
Flight Commentator Rob Navius:
That call from CAPCOM Barry Wilmore a transducer, instrumentation only, no action required.

Atlantis now 15 miles in altitude, already 16 miles downrange from the Kennedy Space Center, one minute, 40 seconds into the flight. Atlantis flexing its muscles one final time.

Atlantis traveling almost 2,600 mph, 21 miles in altitude, 24 miles downrange.

Standing by for solid rocket booster separation.

Booster officer confirms staging, a good solid rocket booster separation, guidance now converging, the main engines now steering the shuttle on a pinpoint path to its preliminary orbit

[گلناز]

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Saturday became the first probe ever to enter orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Dawn will study the asteroid, named Vesta, for a year before departing for a second destination, a dwarf planet named Ceres, in July 2012. Observations will provide unprecedented data to help scientists understand the earliest chapter of our solar system. The data also will help pave the way for future human space missions.

"Today, we celebrate an incredible exploration milestone as a spacecraft enters orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt for the first time," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "Dawn's study of the asteroid Vesta marks a major scientific accomplishment and also points the way to the future destinations where people will travel in the coming years. President Obama has directed NASA to send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025, and Dawn is gathering crucial data that will inform that mission."

The spacecraft relayed information to confirm it entered Vesta's orbit, but the precise time this milestone occurred is unknown at this time. The time of Dawn's capture depended on Vesta's mass and gravity, which only has been estimated until now. The asteroid's mass determines the strength of its gravitational pull. If Vesta is more massive, its gravity is stronger, meaning it pulled Dawn into orbit sooner. If the asteroid is less massive, its gravity is weaker and it would have taken the spacecraft longer to achieve orbit. With Dawn now in orbit, the science team can take more accurate measurements of Vesta's gravity and gather more accurate timeline information.

Dawn, which launched in September 2007, is on track to become the first spacecraft to orbit two solar system destinations beyond Earth. The mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, which is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The University of California, Los Angeles, is responsible for the overall Dawn mission science. Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, the Italian Space Agency and the Italian National Astrophysical Institute are part of the mission's team.

For information about the Dawn mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/dawn


To follow the mission on Twitter, visit:

http://www.twitter.com/NASA_Dawn

[گلناز]

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Saturday became the first probe ever to enter orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Dawn will study the asteroid, named Vesta, for a year before departing for a second destination, a dwarf planet named Ceres, in July 2012. Observations will provide unprecedented data to help scientists understand the earliest chapter of our solar system. The data also will help pave the way for future human space missions.

"Today, we celebrate an incredible exploration milestone as a spacecraft enters orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt for the first time," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "Dawn's study of the asteroid Vesta marks a major scientific accomplishment and also points the way to the future destinations where people will travel in the coming years. President Obama has directed NASA to send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025, and Dawn is gathering crucial data that will inform that mission."

The spacecraft relayed information to confirm it entered Vesta's orbit, but the precise time this milestone occurred is unknown at this time. The time of Dawn's capture depended on Vesta's mass and gravity, which only has been estimated until now. The asteroid's mass determines the strength of its gravitational pull. If Vesta is more massive, its gravity is stronger, meaning it pulled Dawn into orbit sooner. If the asteroid is less massive, its gravity is weaker and it would have taken the spacecraft longer to achieve orbit. With Dawn now in orbit, the science team can take more accurate measurements of Vesta's gravity and gather more accurate timeline information.

Dawn, which launched in September 2007, is on track to become the first spacecraft to orbit two solar system destinations beyond Earth. The mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, which is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The University of California, Los Angeles, is responsible for the overall Dawn mission science. Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, the Italian Space Agency and the Italian National Astrophysical Institute are part of the mission's team.

For information about the Dawn mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/dawn


To follow the mission on Twitter, visit:

http://www.twitter.com/NASA_Dawn

[گلناز]

HOUSTON – All four Atlantis crew members worked Saturday to move equipment and supplies between the International Space Station and the multi-purpose logistics module Raffaello.

Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim, with help from their station colleagues, were nearing the home stretch in transfer activities. Most of the 9,400 pounds of equipment brought up in Raffaello is aboard the station, and the loading of 5,700 pounds of return items is well under way. Raffaello is scheduled to be unberthed from the station’s Harmony node and returned to the shuttle’s cargo bay early Monday.

Early Saturday Ferguson and Hurley fixed a latch on a door in the floor of Atlantis’ middeck. The air revitalization system compartment beneath the door houses lithium hydroxide canisters, used to scrub carbon dioxide from the shuttle’s cabin atmosphere.

The system will be needed once hatches between Atlantis and the station are closed about 8:30 a.m. CDT Monday. Atlantis is scheduled to undock from the station about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, and land at Kennedy Space Center just before 5 a.m. on Thursday.

Magnus spent about an hour and a half Saturday morning taking microbial air samples in the station. They will be returned in Atlantis for study and analysis.

Walheim continued his work with spacewalking tools and equipment. Some will be left on the station, and be available for use in upcoming Russian spacewalks from the Pirs docking compartment. It will be about a year before the next scheduled U.S. spacewalk from the station’s Quest airlock takes place.

The astronauts also provided a recorded message as a tribute to Atlantis, the entire Space Shuttle Program and team. In the message, Ferguson spoke about the U.S. flag displayed behind them that was flown on the first space shuttle mission, STS-1. It was flown on this mission to be presented to the space station crew and it will remain displayed onboard the station until the next crew launched from the U.S. retrieves it for return to Earth. It will fly from Earth again, with the next crew that launches from the U.S. on a journey of exploration beyond Earth orbit.

The tribute video is available online at:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/video...a_id=101615961

[گلناز]

HOUSTON – After several days of wakeup calls from celebrities, the STS-135 crew kicked off their 10th day in space with a message from some of the stars of the Space Shuttle Program.

“Good morning Atlantis, from your friends at Stennis Space Center,” Stennis employees said in a message recorded before launch. “It’s time to fire up your engines – laissez les bons temps rouler!”

“Laissez les bons temps rouler,” is a Cajun French phrase that translates “Let the good times roll.” Stennis Space Center, located in southern Mississippi, 50 miles from New Orleans, is home to the test stands that verified each of the main engines that helped propel space shuttles into low Earth orbit – including the three used in the STS-135 launch – was in good working order before it was installed.

The message was fittingly preceded by the wakeup song, “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang, which was played for Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus. The wakeup call came at 9:59 p.m.

Flight day 10 will see the wrap up of transfer work inside the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module, before the crew closes its hatch and returns it to the shuttle’s cargo bay on Monday. They started the day with 96 percent of the work inside Raffaello done.

In addition, Commander Chris Ferguson and Pilot Doug Hurley are scheduled at 5:09 a.m. to answer videotaped questions from students at NASA Explorer Schools across the country, in the last interactive educational event with a space shuttle crew.

Following that, the crew will have two hours of off duty time.

The next status report will be issued at the end of the crew’s day or earlier if warranted. The crew is scheduled to go to sleep just before 1:30 p.m.

[stargazer]

Space Farm 7 and NASA: A Corn Maze Experience

09.12.11




The 2011 maze by Dewberry Farm of Brookshire, Texas, honors NASA's 50 years of human space flight and Houston's Johnson Space Center. Image Courtesy of Space Farm 7. Space Farm 7 is a celebration of NASA's space, science and exploration programs that both honors the agency's missions and features a contest, the grand prize winner of which will win four tickets to visit the Kennedy Space Center and dine with an astronaut.

Each of the seven participating farms planted corn mazes that feature designs celebrating NASA's achievements and each of the Space Farms are paired with the closest NASA center in order to highlight that region’s contribution to the agency. The farms are open to the public and feature NASA-related educational games and activities. This outreach project will expose participants to NASA's space exploration and other missions.

Visit Space Farm 7 to vote on your favorite maze. A winner will be selected at random in October.


From: NASA

[stargazer]

Cassini Chronicles Life of Saturn's Giant Storm

ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2011) — New images and animated movies from NASA's Cassini spacecraft chronicle the birth and evolution of the colossal storm that ravaged the northern face of Saturn for nearly a year.

Churning Psychedelia: These two false-color views from NASA's Cassini spacecraft show detailed patterns that change during one Saturn day within the huge storm in the planet's northern hemisphere. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

These new full-color mosaics and animations show the storm from its emergence as a tiny spot in a single image almost one year ago, on Dec. 5, 2010, through its subsequent growth into a storm so large it completely encircled the planet by late January 2011.....


Read full story from this address:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1121135919.htm

[گلناز]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has updated the news conferences, events and operating hours for the press site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., for the agency's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover launch.

MSL is scheduled to liftoff at 10:02 a.m. EST on Nov. 26 from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS).

NASA Television's countdown launch commentary begins at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 26. That also is when a NASA blog will begin providing countdown updates. Originating from CCAFS Hangar AE, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to liftoff.

Detailed lists of news briefing times and participants, prelaunch media tours and photo opportunities and hours of operation for Kennedy's press site are available at:



http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/index.html


The Curiosity rover has 10 science instruments to search for evidence about whether Mars had environments favorable for microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release their gasses so its spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth.

Free wireless Internet access currently is not available at Kennedy's press site. Media representatives must bring their own equipment for wireless connectivity.

For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For the latest online information on the MSL mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/msl

[گلناز]

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — News media are invited to observe a live televised broadcast of the launch of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft with the Curiosity rover on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in the Exploration Center at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

The spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window opens at 7:02 a.m. PST, and the Exploration Center at Ames will open at 6:30 a.m. PST. The launch will be preceded with brief comments from NASA scientist Tori Hoehler, who will share information about the upcoming mission. The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at Mars in August 2012.

Curiosity has 10 science instruments to search for evidence about whether Mars has had environments favorable for microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. Ames scientist David Blake is the principal investigator for CheMin, an X-ray diffraction and fluorescence instrument designed to identify and quantify the minerals in rocks and soils, and to measure bulk composition. CheMin data will be useful in the search for potential mineral biosignatures, energy sources for life or indicators of past habitable environments.

All of the science instruments on Curiosity utilize Mars Science Laboratory InterfaCE (MSLICE), a software tool developed to plan the actions of the Mars rover. The planning software ensures that mission scientists can work closely with rover and instrument engineers to create a plan that is both safe for the rover to perform and maximizes scientific research. NASA Ames designed and developed the planning and scheduling software for MSLICE.

NASA Ames also played a part preparing MSL for its entry into the Red Planet's atmosphere next year. MSL will be protected from Mars’ atmosphere by a unique thermal protection system consisting of tiles made of phenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA) material invented at NASA Ames.

Embedded in the MSL spacecraft's heat shield is a set of sensors named MSL Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) Suite to measure atmospheric conditions and performance of the heat shield. MEDLI consists of seven pressure sensors and seven plugs with multiple temperature sensors. The instrument suite was designed and developed by NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va, and NASA Ames designed and built the thermal sensing plugs. NASA Ames also designed and performed the qualification and certification testing of the spacecraft's thermal protection system.

On Saturday, Nov. 26 NASA TV coverage of the launch will begin at 4:30 a.m. PST. Recorded launch status reports will be available starting Nov. 21 on the Kennedy Space Center media phone line, 1- 321-867-2525. Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the liftoff of the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket will be available on NASA's home page: http://www.nasa.gov

Reporters interested in viewing the live broadcast at NASA Ames must send requests for media credentials to Jessica Culler, Jessica.s.culler@nasa.gov or call 650-604-4789 by 1 p.m. PST Friday, Nov. 25, 2011.

NASA's Exploration Center is the large white dome located at the main gate of NASA's Ames Research Center. To reach NASA Ames, take U.S. Highway 101 to the Moffett Field, NASA Parkway exit and drive east on Moffett Boulevard towards the main gate and bear right into the parking lot. For more information about the Mars Science Laboratory, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/msl

For information about the NASA Ames, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames

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